Improved mast and rigging



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE rr. MAY, OE TOMRRrNsvILLE, NEW YORK.

IMPRO-V-ED MAST AND RIGGING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,382, vdated July 15, 186:2.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GEORGE T. MAY, o Tompkinsville, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the System of Masts and Rigging known as theIlnion Rig, (for which Letters Patent of the United States were issued tome on the 28th day of April, 1857, No. 17,1655) and I do hereby declare that the following is a true and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, the drawings referred to being those which did accompany the ori-ginal specification.

This my improvement consists in substituting for the doubled upper masts and rigging ot' the original invention a single spar and a simplified arrangement of rigging and fittings thereto, retaining still the doubled lower masts, and adapting to them for the peculiar purposes of the invention the substituted spar, rigging, and fittings.

Figure l is a side view elevation of a set of masts thus improved. The parts of the original invention still retained are the spring-mast or proper lower mast, a, the right mast or pivot-mast b, the loridge,7 with hounds and clamps, as originally, c, and the lower rigging, (Z and e, and only these. The parts now newly introduced are the upper mast,f, rigging on each side, as follows: topmast forward stays, g, top-mast back-stays h, top-mast breastrigging i, on each side a forward' Outrigger, j, a back Outrigger, k, the collar Z, to which all the top-mast rigging is tted; on each side a top-gallant forward stay, m, back-,stay a, and breast-shroud o, the permanently-rove mast-ropep, the mast downhaul q, the step r, the gafttopsail jackstay s, and upon the extreme head of the pivot-mast the bulls-eye I), (the use of the two lastnamed parts being explained in Fig. 4:.) The upper mast is so proportioned in length that when the heel is lowered into the step i' on deck the eyes of the top-gallant rigging will Abe brought so closely down to the lower cap that there will be left just 'good room for the collar Z with the top-mast rigging to lie snugly 011 the cap without disturbing the topgallant rigging from its place on the hounds of the top-gallant mast, the collar Z- being tstays may be placed,g/ and z, and the place and Outline of a midsail, A B C.

Fig. 2 is a side view elevation of substan` tially all the parts shown in Fig. l, but representing the improved set of masts when snugged, theV upper mast being housed and all sails furled. The letters of reference apply to the same parts as in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the outriggers. jj'

'are the forward outriggers; 7a It', the back outriggers; D'D D D DW, the ridge-lines, affording a mutual support or steadiment to the outriggers. E E are blocks for the upper sheet of the midsail. The topmast and topgallant forward stays and back-stays are led through the ends of the outriggers to their respective setting-up places below, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. a and b are the lower mast-heads.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side View of the eX- treme head ot' the pivot-mast, and is illustra tive of the device used for operating the gafftopsail with this improvement and for preserving, essentially, the pivot-line for the wing of canvas. D is the bulls-eye, as in Figs. l and 2. tis the luif of the gafttopsail; s, the gaff-topsail jack-stay extending from the collar Z of the top-mast to the deck. F F is the guess-rope having on its upper end the thimble M, through which the jack-stay is rove and being itself led through the Ybulls-eye D to the deck. K is the head of the gaEf-top sail. H is the tack of the same; L, the gafftopsail halyards; G, the down-haul. There are rings or hanks J traveling on the jackstay s, to which the sail is attached by the lanyards I. It will be readily perceived by nautical experts that on setting up the guessropeV F F (on deck) the jaclcstay s will be brought to the bulls-eye D on the head of the pivot-mast. Then, by hoisting on thehalyards, the sheet being home, the sail will be set with its luff substantially on the pivotvline; also it will be apparent that by letting go the guessrope, sheet, and halyards the sail can be' at once hauled down to the deck by means of the down-haul and the tack and may be stowed ready for resetting, as at t in Fig. 2.

The advantages that I elaim for this improvement are the attainment of a more oomplete efficiency and by the employment of more simple means than heretofore.

I do not now claim as my invention the specified parts: a, the lower mast; b, the pivotmast; c, the bridge with hounds and clamps; d and e, the lower rigging, because the use of these is already secured to me by Letters Patent dated April 28, 1857. Neither do I claim, broadly, for the use of any of the other parts described either separately or in any combination among them only What I do claim as my invention, and desire nowto secure by Letters Patent, is f l. The use, in combination with the lower mast, a, the pivotunast b, the bridge with hounds and clamps c, and the lower rigging,

d and e, of thev followingnamed specified parts: the upper masts, f, the top-mast forward stays, g, the top-mast back-stays h, the topmast breast-rigging i, the forward outriggers, jj', the back outriggers, 7c k', the collar Z, the ridge-lines D D D' D DW, the top-gallant forward staysmz, the top-gallant back-stays n, and the top-gallant breast-shrouds o, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the above, the gaff- `topsail jack-stay s, the bulls-eye D, the guessrope F F, the thimble M, the lanyards I, and the rings J, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with all the above, the' mast-rope p, the mast down-haul q, and the step r, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

' GEORGE T. MAY.

Wlitnesses:

A. CREYPER, PHILroT WoLFE. 

